The Monitor. [volume] (Woodstown, N.J.) 1884-1892, 1887-07-01
PROCESS OF RAEsIN MAKING.
a Correspondent Presents "a California
Fruit Growers OF the Bus
IneSs.

a correspondent Presents "a California
Fruit GrOyser's Account OF the BUS
mess.
In concluding my description of raisin
producing in California l herewith present
an account of the process of raisin making
kindly furnished me by a prominent fruit
grower Of Riverside;
''The sun laved shores of the Mediter-
ranean offer to the vine no finer soil and
climate than the warm plains of California.
The abundant water supply from the snow
filled canyons Of the mighty Sierras gives
health to the vine and size to the berries,
while the long summer heat Hills the grape
with lusciousness. When the early Sep
TENDER days pour a torrid beat upon the
plains the rich clusters put on a golden
tint, the royal amber Of full ripeness. Sun
and water and warmth can do no more,
the vintage time has come To make
sweet r%aisins, filed with jelly and of a
fine brown color, it is important that the
grapes should show this yellow color
Picking early, so as TO be first in the mar
ket, does not mean good raisins. The
grapes when thus ripened are carefully cut
from the vine and laid upon small plat
forms made of smooth sugar pine, and
raised from the ground by inch eleats.
These platforms are three feet long and
two feet wide, and are capable of holding
from twentyto twenty-five pounds Of green
grapes. They are then placed on the open
spaces between the rows of vines, and left
for the action of the sun and air. 10 pick
ing the grapes care should be taken not to
handle the punches so as to rub off the
delicate bloom.
'ln nine days after picking the grapes
are sufficiently dry on the upper side to
to admit of turning over. This is lone
by placing an empty platform on a filed
one and reversing quickly. IL skiIlfully
done no fruit will be thrown off. In five
or six days after turning the raisins are
sufficiently cnred To be removed from the
platforms. This is really the only delicate
part of the whole business, requiring much
Judgment; the more cure the better raisfns.
If the raisins have part of their juices still
liquid unconverted into Jelly, So that a drop
can be squeezed out by pressing the raisin
between the thumb and finger, they are
unfit to be put into the Sweat box as
they will eventually mould or sour after
packing, ~ if too much dried the con
sumner will never know the delieiousness
of properly cured raisins; therefore a care
full inspection of each tray must be made
and imperfectly dried raisins removed, after
which all dust and dirt must be vigorous
ly famed from the tray. They are now
carefully slipped from the tray into large
feet long, two feet wide and one foot deep.
After a layer Consisting of the contents of
three or four platforms) has been placed
in the box a large sheet of MANILA paper
is laid upon them, then another layer of
raisins and paper alternately, until the box
is filled.
"The boxes are now taken from the
vineyard to some cool building, and al
lowed to stand from two weeks to a month.
The moisture passes into the stems, MAX
ing them pliable, and an equilibrium is es-
tablished through all the raisins in the box.
AT the end of the proper curing time the
raisins pass into the hands of the packers.
These pack from the layers on the MANILA
paper into galvanized iron trays, fitting
comfortably into the boxes which 90 TO
market. These trays have false wooden
bottoms, and are all balanced on the
scales before packing. All imperfect
raisins and superintendent stems are cnt
out from the punches, which are then
neatly placed in the trays until they on
tain five pounds of fruit. They are then
pressed in a lever press. The fancy paper
wrapper is nov placed upon the iron tray,
a steel plate put over that, aud all reversed
over the box in which they are to be pack
ed; the slide is removed, when the COM
pact, five pound layer, with its paper
folded over, and the box is ready for its
successive layers.
f"The standard California box ho.ds four
layers, or twenty pounds. When all the
layers are in the box a fancy label is placed
upon The top, the cover nailed on, and the
cover steneiled with the owner's name.
This constitutes a box of table raisins. All
small, loose raisins are packed as cooking
r%aisins' according TO the option of the
packer. There seems to be no good reason
why California should not produce raisins
equal to old Spain, when we learn that the
best results follow the greatest care in de-
tails. We must not forget that Spain has
had centuries of experience, which has
been transmitted from generation to gen
Grafton, while We are novices in the busi-
ness with all things 10 learn. Fen G..
Truman, ia n. \. Times.
RtnvxEr rs apHsu~ExS